News Channel 3 meteorologist Jim Jaggers has been forecasting the weather both on television and radio in Memphis since 1978. You'll see Jim on News Channel 3's 5:00 and 10:00 p.m. newscasts or live on the air with Tim Simpson when severe weather strikes.

You can also catch Jim on the radio. He does radio forecasts on WRVR The River 104 FM, WSMB AM Sports Radio 680 ESPN, KWAM AM and WUMR U 92 FM the Jazz Lover, Monday through Friday.

Jim is proud of his AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist designation. This means the American Meteorological Society certifies that Jim is a meteorologist in the field of broadcasting. There are many types of meteorologists; the AMS for the first time is putting its international scientific reputation and credibility behind his education, experience and knowledge.

Jim spends a great deal of time with The American Meteorological Society. He's been the chairman of the Board of Broadcast Meteorology and served on the Broadcast Board judging AMS Seal candidates. He assisted the AMS in writing and implementing a new Certified Broadcast Meteorology test that will eventually replace the original AMS Seal.

He has Seals of Approval from both the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association in both television and radio forecasting. Jim and Tim Simpson won an Emmy in 2008 for Breaking News of the February 5, 2008 tornado that hit Shelby County in the Whitehaven area.

Jim attended Michigan State University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Telecommunications with a minor in Theater and Journalism and has a Masters of Science degree from what was then Memphis State University in Geography concentrating in Atmospheric Sciences.

When he's not on the air, Jim spends time with his wife and family and directs the Choir at Scenic Hills United Methodist Church.

Cloud Classification:
In 1803 a classification of clouds was made up by Luke Howard (1772 - 1864) who used Latin words to describe their characteristics. Cirrus - tufts or whisps
* Stratus - a layer
* Nimbus - rain bearing
* Cumulus - a heap or pile

Interesting Weather Facts:
1. The average lifespan of a tornado is
less than 15 minutes.
2. The tornado is the most violent of all
earth's storms
3. In 1967, Hurricane Beulah unleased 115 tornadoes over Texas.
4. Lightning is 5 times hotter then the surface of the sun.
5. The Empire State Building has been struck by lightning a dozen time in a single storm.

Rain?
How fast do raindrops fall? Not including wind-driven rain, raindrops fall between 7 and 18 miles per hour (3 and 8 meters per second) in still air. The range in speed depends on the the size of the raindrop. Air friction breaks up raindrops when they exceed 18 miles per hour.